Volleyball: Morgan hits the US headlines

Rachael Morgan is playing for Florida State. Photo / Supplied

It's a long way from Otumoetai College to the New York Times.

While she remains a virtual unknown here, in the United States volleyballer Rachael Morgan, a Tauranga native, often plays in front of thousands of screaming fans.

Morgan, who has been at Florida State University (FSU) since 2008, appeared in the New York Times last year and was also featured on ESPN, as part of the Seminoles team on the high-profile college volleyball circuit.

Still only 22, Morgan is already rated the best female volleyballer to come out of this country and has been living a sporting dream over the past four years.

Her odyssey started in an unlikely venue; a nondescript Polish city called Myslowice (population 74,000), that hosted the world under-19 beach volleyball championships in 2007. Playing alongside Hannah Croad, the New Zealanders finished ninth and the 1.88m Morgan began to attract attention.

"I was approached by a scout about applying for a [college] scholarship," remembers Morgan. "She got footage of me playing and it was sent out to the schools. After that, it went crazy - there were phone calls, letters and emails all the time."

Morgan weighed up different offers before settling for FSU.

"The school is world-renowned. I saw pictures of FSU and fell in love with it. They were offering a full scholarship and the services they have for student athletes are unreal, even on the academic side."

Then the hard work started. Away from her family and friends, the 18-year-old went straight into a full academic programme, as well as weights sessions, daily three-hour practices and studying videos. On top of that, the FSU volleyball coaches were fired within a few weeks of her arrival.

"It was an interesting start," laughs Morgan. "There was a lot to take in but not too much time to think."

In her freshman year, Morgan played in an impressive 28 matches but really began to shine the following season in 2009.

She received national recognition, on two occasions being named international player of the week by the American Volleyball Scouting Report (AVSR), which casts a net over 300 universities.

She was also named in the Atlantic Coast Conference all-star team and FSU were conference champions, progressing to the elite eight in the final rounds of the NCAA competition with an overall 31-3 record.

That year was also about discovering the brutal reality of American collegiate sport: "I learnt very quickly to build a tough skin, and that being sore, injured or tired doesn't count for anything," says Morgan. "The team has a physio along with two student trainers and the amount that FSU puts into keeping athletes healthy is for a reason - they work you to the bone; the work ethic here was nothing like I had ever been part of. Practice was never less than three hours, and the coaches make sure they are a quality three hours. They push you to reach your potential every day. You are constantly tired but need to keep up with workouts and rehabilitation to stay strong.

"But it is a million dollar business and we get any help we ask for," says Morgan. "Everything is set up for student athletes and is at such a professional level - doctors, chiropractors, tutors and coaches are always available. You have to give everything to the programme but the rewards are more than you could ever ask for."

Her career highlight came late last year, when FSU made a historic run all the way to the final four of the NCAA tournament. They were the first team from the Atlantic Conference to reach the semifinals, anchored on an imposing defence built around punishing blocking.

Morgan contributed 120 blocks across the season as the Seminoles consistently shut down some of the best hitters in the league. She also started every match of the season and picked up the fifth AVSR player of the week award of her career.

Their semifinal was played in San Antonio at the improbably named Alamodome and was nationally televised on ESPN2 to millions of American homes.

She is reluctant to talk about her fame on campus but admits she gets recognised regularly at the sports-crazy college.

"Student athletes at FSU are the pinnacle of success," says Morgan. "Although the University prides itself on academics, it is also one of the most famous athletic programmes in the country. Many students and professors will recognise you and be fans. You can walk through campus or around the city and receive support everywhere. Volleyball is one of the major college sports to be part of - we have our own gym and on game days, it is filled with the school band, cheerleaders, statisticians, medical staff and coaching staff, and can also hold up to 5000 people."

Morgan returns home next month with a degree in sports management.

She wants to work within the high performance sports industry here, "to enable others to receive benefits that I have been lucky enough to receive".

She will continue with volleyball in this country, hoping to don the silver fern once again, but has no intention of pursuing a professional career in Europe.

"I have been plagued with injuries and have had ongoing problems with stress fractures - I feel like I'm 80-years-old," laughs Morgan. "I have zero plans to try and go professional."